An always-on display screen may display both private and non-private information. A user must take proactive steps to prevent others from seeing private information on the screen. For example, a user may tilt the screen away from others, dim the screen, reduce the font size, reduce the window size, move to a private area, use an externally mounted polarizing filter, etc., or simply not view private information when others are around.
An electronic reader is an example of an always-on device that displays private and non-private information. For example, certain electronic readers allow users to access their email (potentially private information), which can then be read by anyone that can view the screen.
Further, the content source of the information may not be aware of the privacy rules or capabilities of the display, or have any meaningful way to ensure that the user is viewing private information privately. As such, the source may have to prevent the private information from being displayed on certain types of devices.
There is needed a mechanism whereby an application can configure the display such that content is displayed appropriately.